


Childhood Innocence

by Jacklyne



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Background Clary Fray/Jace Wayland, Background Lydia Branwell/Isabelle Lightwood, Background Simon Lewis/Raphael Santiago, Fluff, M/M, Maryse and Robert are good parents, imagine shadowhunters but with no powers and everyone's happier than usual, kid AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-06-10 06:55:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6944359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacklyne/pseuds/Jacklyne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I don't need a flower girl, Iz," Alec said, causing Isabelle to shake her head.</p><p>"Yes you do, how else are you s'posed to marry Magnus?"</p><p>Alec blinked at her a couple of times. Then her words were processed and he coughed wildly in shock.</p><p>"W-what?" he managed to choke out.</p><p>Isabelle suddenly stood up on the couch, towering over him and standing at the same height as Maryse, who seemed equally as surprised as he did.</p><p>"Alec, don't you know? If you have a crush on Magnus, then that means that he'll be your boyfriend someday, and then you'll be married," she scolded him with her hands on her hips.</p><p>or</p><p>the kid au that no one asked for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Like Any Other Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec learns that being different from all the boys isn't so bad.

When Alec was in preschool, he was like any five year old boy his age. He played with cars, was invested in a plethora of sports, and pretended that his pencils were swords when he played pirates with the other boys.

He remembered expressing his interest in drawing on the first day of school, and the immediate jests of the boys in the class about how only girls drew.

While the girls his age would paint their nails and play dress up with their Barbie dolls, the boys would be running around as wild and as uncontrolled as they could until they were discovered by their parents and thoroughly scolded for their actions.

To him, and every other boy he knew, boys were supposed to be uncaring over small, trivial things such as getting dirt on their clothes after they played outside. Being strong and 'manly' was something that the girls expected them to be, and be something else made you weak.

They never cried. It was a sign of weakness and it made you pathetic in the eyes of all kids everywhere; even in Canada.

Alec didn't really understand why the rules were designed to make it seem like girls couldn't be tough, because he's never met a girl who wasn't strong. But he supposed that unspoken rules were the ones meant to be the ones followed, like 'monkey see, monkey do'.

(He also didn't know who the monkey was and why they would be so silly as to copy everything he saw people do, but he wouldn't question that either.)

At five years old, he realized that his classmate Magnus Bane wasn't like any other boy in preschool. One of the reasons why, was because he was pretty. Very, very pretty.

Magnus, according to his teacher, had come from a place called Indonesia. It was from the constant (Consonant? Continent?) of Asia. Or maybe it was in Africa or Australia.

Alec didn't know where that country was and he didn't like how many continents started with the letter 'A', and when he entered his classroom that morning and saw a new addition to his table, he was fairly surprised to learn that the new kid spoke English.

He was under the impression that every country spoke a different language, like how his mother's country spoke Spanish and his father's country spoke English.

Magnus spoke with complex words Alec didn't know yet and occupied a strong Indonesian accent, so the latter had no clue what the other boy was saying.

"Are you speaking English?" He asked, tilting his head in innocent curiosity.

Magnus, who had previously been babbling shyly to the group, frowned at him. The excited glint in his yellow eyes faded away, and instead was replaced by glossy tears that threatened to fall.

Oh. _Oh no._ Alec's had his fair share of bad questions, and he had an awful feeling that was the worst question he's ever asked in his young life.

"Y-yes..." Magnus seemed unsure at the sound of his voice. He curled into himself and refused to meet anyone's eye.

"That wasn't very nice. You shouldn't be rude to the new kid on his first day of school," Camille quipped, twirling her black locks with a crayon. She shot Magnus a smile that Alec wouldn't trust. However, judging by the appreciative, albeit tentative, grin Magnus sent back, Alec knew that he had fallen for it.

As much as he disliked her, Camille was right about him being. Though, she should speak for herself. Alec was never too fond of her after he had witnessed her laughing at Clary Fray for crying on her first day.

However, to say that Alec felt guilty for making the new kid feel bad on his first day was an understatement.

Throughout the day, when Alec found the right opportunity, he would make several fruitless apologies, but Magnus just nodded and went back to his own business.

From that day on, the only times Alec had seen Magnus talk were the moments when the teacher came up to him and knelt down to his level so he could whisper whatever he had to say. That, and the times when Camille would say something to him and Magnus would giggle quietly.  
  
During those times, Alec would feel envious of her for getting Magnus to laugh.  
  
He wanted to hide Magnus from Camille. To protect him from those hidden claws she would probably use to hurt him. But he didn't have a right to, after he himself had hurt Magnus.

Throughout the duration of the preschool year, Alec had picked up on Magnus' habits.

For example, he learned that Magnus had a tendency to draw. A lot. More than the average girl or boy their age.

He would draw in his notebook while the teacher taught them how to read short words, or in the sand with his finger when they played kickball outside on the field.  
  
Sometimes, Alec would catch Magnus staring at him when he thought he wasn't looking, and then he would quickly look away and continue scribbling in his book.

Once, Alec had seen him rip different coloured paper and glue them into the book, and his curiosity had kept growing. 

It was a strange sight to see, considering that drawing or doing any kinds of crafts was usually something that only girls would do.   
  
Alec would hear whispers in the hallway and on the playground about the mysterious new kid who cared more about fashion than he did about cars. Magnus was known as the kid who was different from the other boys; a loner.  
  
As time went on, Magnus defied the title of a loner, starting by befriending a small group of girls. He helped a girl design the dress of doll, and the next day had shown up with the actual dress that fit on the toy perfectly.  
  
Needless to say, the group of girls had started to love him. Just as their teacher did when she realized the intelligence and sincerity of the boy, and just as the entire class did despite the fact that Magnus never spoke to them.  
  
Alec figured that they had grown an attachment to Magnus because he was a mystery and everyone either loved or hated things they couldn't understand. In his case, he was loved. Immensely.

Alec also learned that Magnus was very protective about his work and never let anyone see what he was doing. He was secretive to the point where even Camille had never seen inside his notebook, much to her daily persistence.

The one time a classmate asked what he was drawing, Magnus ripped the sheet of paper in half and shook his head aggressively. No one questioned him after that.

* * *

Time passed by and soon enough Alec was in first grade at Idris Academy.

He entered his new classroom happily and ready to start another year of school, only to feel confused and full of disappointment when the day was over.

The boys in his grade were so different than the ones he knew before. Instead of fighting with pencils and chasing each other for food, they fought with the girls and chased them around for no apparent reason.

Alec didn't understand why they did it. He didn't think any of the girls liked to be ran after. He asked Jace about it when they got home.

"I just don't get it!" Alec threw his hands up in frustration, huffing. "Why would you do that to them? They're nice!"

Jace grinned, flashing bits of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich he was eating.

"That's gross," Alec wrinkled his nose in disgust and pushed Jace’s face away from him,

Swallowing his afternoon snack, Jace patted his brother on the shoulder and said, "You'll do the same when there's a pretty girl in your class that you like."

He had to disagree. He liked all the girls in his class, but there was no way that would ever chase them for it. That would just be plain rude and weird.

Realizing that Jace was absolutely no help, he asked his mother when she was tucking him into bed that night.

"Mommy? What's it called when a boy chases a girl all day?" He asked as Maryse pulled up his cotton blanket to his chin.

"That's called harassment, Alexander." She replied, kissing him on the forehead.

That didn't sound very pleasant to him, so he decided then and there to never join in the games with his classmates.  
  
Screw the rules and screw the monkey. The monkey could copy what everyone else was doing if he wanted to.  
  
Alec wondered if this was how Magnus felt, being different from everyone else and not like other boys.  
  
It made him ponder what ever happened to his old classmate; If the latter was still upset with him for his insensitive question and if he had ever opened up more.  
  
Alec yawned tiredly. His thoughts could wait for another day more.

* * *

It was during second grade that Jace had run up to Alec excitedly, a grin so wide that Alec wondered how it stayed on his face.

"Guess what happened!" Jace practically screamed at him during the lunch hour.

Used to his brother's strange antics, Alec replied, "The ducks in the pond outside are gone forever?" He sipped on his juice box.

"I wish, but no. This is even better!" He shook Alec back and forth by the shoulders. "I told Clary that her dress looked pretty and she smiled at me! Her face turned red!"

"Her face turned red? Why, was she sick?" Alec put his drink down, glancing down glumly at the grape juice that was now all over his desk.

"No... But she was so cute! You should've seen it!" Jace leaned back into his chair and sighed happily. "She's the cutest person in the world."

If Alec could describe how Jace looked, he would say that he looked dumb. Really dumb. Especially with the dreamy expression on his face.

Alec pretended to be interested in the conversation to make his best friend happy, but if he was being honest, he found nothing cute about Clarissa. Well, nothing to make her 'the cutest person in the world'.

Also, he had caught a glimpse of the 'pretty' dress Clary had on and he thought it was pretty... Ugly. The patterns and weird colours made it appear as though the girl was wearing a quilt.   
  
Alec was no fashionista, but he was positive that the colours on the dress didn't compliment each other well.

No offense to Clary, who he actually thought was decently cute, but plenty offense to the dress.

He wasn't the only person who thought the dress was horrible, apparently.

Alec heard someone gasp in horror and he turned to see one of his classmates with his pupils wide, hands over his mouth in over dramatic dismay.

"Clarissa... Why?" The boy poked his Clary's dress with blatant distaste. His expression grave as he pinched the fabric between his fingers, inspecting every seam.

Alec blinked rapidly at the familiarity at the boy he didn't recognize. Then it hit him. The boy was Magnus; his former classmate that he hadn't seen in years and who he thought moved back to Antarctica.  
  
It was the first time he had heard Magnus talk since preschool, and even if Alec hadn't seen his face, he would notice the Indonesian accent that hadn't changed that much since they were five.

Magnus himself had definitely changed. Though he was still short, he was undoubtedly taller than the last time Alec had seen him.

Speaking of which, how long had Magnus been in his class?

In contrast to the outfits Magnus had worn in preschool, the boy in front of Alec wore bright coloured pants and his hair had... Stuff in it. Alec didn't know what it was, but it kept Magnus' hair up neatly. His sweater didn't have the typical game logo on it, in fact, it looked more like a sweater that Isabelle would wear.  
  
There was a flash of light on his hands. Alec stared closer and saw the abundance of rings on Magnus' fingers.  
  
If he thought that Magnus stuck out all those years ago, it was nothing compared to how he stuck out today. In a good way.  
  
There was also the way Magnus acted that seemed very different. He seemed more confident and more sure, like he was no longer afraid of the world and what it would say to him.  
  
Hearing his voice made Alec feel weird. He wondered if Magnus would remember what he did to him and if he would hate him for it.

Holding a hand over his chest, Alec willed his heart to stop beating so fast. It was strange. That had never happened to him before.

Still being circled like a hawk by Magnus, Clary protested, "Jace said it looked pretty."

"He lied," Magnus said bluntly, patting her on the cheek. He sat back down to his desk and started drawing in a similar fashion that he used to do. "There's a dress from my mom in my bag. She wanted me to give it to you as a present for dinner last week."

Clary ran over to what was presumably Magnus' bag and pulled out a pink dress.

Alec couldn't see it properly from where he was but he saw the girl's face light up, and she went over to their teacher to ask permission to leave, so he assumed that she liked the outfit.

"Thank you!" Clarissa called to Magnus as she rushed out into the hallway with the dress floating behind her.

"Yo, Alec," A juice box hit him in the head.

Alec rolled his eyes and picked it up, already making his way to the recycling bin.

"You're the best brother!" Jace cheered from behind him.

After disposing the trash, Alec passed by the desk of Magnus and just so happened to catch a glimpse of what he was drawing.

"Wow," he said, startling his classmate, "That's a nice picture."

"... Really?" Magnus asked. He kept glancing from Alec to the outfit he had just drawn in front of him.

Alec nodded enthusiastically and grinned at him, "Really! That dress is really pretty!"

The other boy blinked at him slowly. Then a blush began to take over his features, tinting his tan cheeks with pink.

"Thank you." He said softly, his eyes seeming to glisten as he beamed up at him.

It was then that Alec understood how Jace felt about Clary and how he said that she was the cutest person on the planet.

Except Magnus was way cuter than she was, so that meant that he was the cutest person in the universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June 20th Update:  
> For those who have never read this story before, feel free to skip this note
> 
> For those who have, thank you for coming back to read this update! ^.^  
> If anyone remembers the first draft of the chapter, it was short, in past tense, and there were only seven lines of dialogue.  
> I read it once more after updating chapter 3 and it kind of... Bothered me?  
> Lol, so I changed up and made it more pleasant, at least to me.  
> It's not much longer than the previous first chapter, but I like it better haha.


	2. Crushes Make You Sick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec and his siblings don't quite understand that crushes don't always lead to marriage... or death.

" _Alec, catch!_ "

Alec turned around quickly and was met with a hard object hitting his face. It fell straight to the ground, landing with a quiet _thump_.

"I said catch!" He heard Jace yell at him exasperatedly.

He leaned down to pick up the object. He gripped the bright pink ruler in his fist, only to look up and see Clarissa staring back expectantly.

She held out a small hand towards him and politely asked, "Can I have my ruler back, please?"

Nodding, Alec handed it to her. "Sorry," he grinned sheepishly.

Clarissa's smile immediately dropped away from her face, her mouth parting slightly as she stared at him in wonder.

He blinked at her as she did so, wondering if he had done something wrong.

Before he could ask her if he had bothered her, her face turned a bright pink and she squeaked out a small, "Thanks!" before running back to sit on the carpet besides Magnus.

Alec noticed him and waved. He couldn't tell if his classmate was smiling from all the way across the classroom, but he did see him wave back, and that was enough to make him happy until the end of school.

At the end of the day when his mom was driving him and his siblings home, his mother informed them that their Aunt Elizabeth had come over to visit with their cousin.

His mood was instantly ruined and Isabelle had begun to whine complaints.

"But, mommy, you don't like her either!" She pouted, arms folded over her chest.

"Nonsense," their mother said, "Elizabeth is a very sweet and kind woman."

"Is she giving us money?" Jace asked.

Their aunt and her husband had a lot of money. So much, in fact, that they had servants, maids, drivers, and a lot of things that rich people have.

Truth be told, Alec was surprised that their family even talked to his when they were nowhere close in wealth.

"No, Jonathan." Maryse replied with a sigh.

"How can she be nice when she isn't giving us money? She has lots! She should share with us."

"Jonathan -"

"She said Alec was disgusting." Isabelle blurted out.

Alec, who was playing with Max while the infant wriggled around in his car seat, turned to look at his sister.

She still had her arms crossed, but the pout on her face was replaced with a scowl.

Their mom suddenly pulled over to the side, stepping on the brakes a little too rough as she pulled over.

"Excuse me?" She turned to face her daughter.

"It's true," Isabelle said, "She told Arnold to stay away from him, too."

Hearing those words, Alec started feeling hurt. He was always nice to his Aunt and was kept his clothes clean whenever she visited. He didn't get why she was disgusted by him.

He saw his mom close her eyes and inhale deeply.

"And why would she say that?" She questioned once her eyes were open.

Isabelle shrugged. "I dunno. She said it when we watched ' _Love Like Roses_ '. He didn't do anything wrong mommy, I swear! The only time he talked was when he said Jessie's boyfriend was cute!"

"Isabelle!" Alec protested, embarrassed at his sister's betrayal. He leaned across Jace and tried to put his hand over her mouth.

She swatted his hands away. "But you did! He did, mommy, I heard him!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Maryse?" Jace asked, causing the two siblings to stop their quarrel and state at the back of their mother's seat.

"Alexander," Maryse began, "Whatever your aunt or cousin says to you you do not listen to them. If they ever say something like that to you, tell your father and I right away, do you understand?"

Alec nodded slowly, trying the ignore the stares from his brother and sister. He knew when his mother was being serious.

"Good," With that, she started the car again and headed towards home.

He noticed the way she gripped the steering wheel tighter, and how she didn't bother scolding Isabelle for calling Aunt Elizabeth ' _asqueroso_ '.

Alec had to agree with her on that.

The knowledge of his aunt thinking that he was disgusting made him ill to the core, especially because up until this point, he believed he had liked him. He didn't want anyone to _not_ like him, especially his family.

The atmosphere had gone tense and no one spoke as they sped down the streets.

"Wow," Jace said after a while, "I wish I was allowed to ignore Aunt Elizabeth and Arnold. You lucked out, Alec. Maxie, do you like them?"

Max gurgled and started chewing on his foot.

"Me neither," Isabelle huffed, her nose wrinkling in disgust.

* * *

“Bye bye, Auntie and Arnol’!” Isabelle shouted as her aunt and cousin made their way downstairs.

Her aunt turned around and narrowed her eyes at the little girl from where she was standing at the bottom of the steps.

“It’s Arnold, _Isabella_.” she corrected.

Isabelle clenched her teeth but kept the fake smile plastered on her face, and Alec could practically feel the hate oozing out of her.

“It's _Isabelle_ , Aunt Elizabeth.” Alec countered back, staring down at them.

He heard his sister snicker quietly and felt a surge of pride flow through him.

Alec didn't know when he suddenly got the confidence to speak out against an adult, but he figured she deserved it for being cruel without justification.

Just as the older woman was about to scold him, the front door opened and Nicholas, the chauffeur, walked in.

He tilted his hat at the two children and turned to his boss.

“Your luggage has been placed in the car, ma’am.”

As he watched his relatives walk out the door, Alec thought about Magnus, and how Nicholas’ hat reminded him of the one he had worn today.

The headwear suited his classmate well, and it made him seem more cute than he did the day Alec complimented him.

Now that Alec was thinking about it, he really wished he knew if Magnus smiled back at him.

“Your face is red,” a voice beside him said, “Are you sick?”

Startled by the sudden sound near his ears, Alec fell backwards and landed on the ground, his hands on either side of him.

Jace and Isabelle hovered over him with equally concerned expressions.

“Are you sick?” Jace repeated.

Alec put one hand on his cheek and felt how warm it was.

Strange. He was never usually this warm. He definitely wasn't when he woke up this morning.

“I- I think so,” he stuttered. “My stomach feels weird.”

Isabelle gasped as dramatically as a kindergartner could and began to cry.

“Mommy, daddy, Alec’s _dying_!” She wailed and ran towards the living room where their parents were.

Jace’s eyes widened in terror. “Dying? But you're only eight!”

He knelt down beside his adoptive brother and said, “Bu-but you can't die! We were s’posed to live ‘til we were a hundred! Was it the duck that Robert cooked? I told you, Alec, ducks are evil! They poisoned you!”

Suddenly, someone was pulling Alec up back onto his feet.

“That's enough of that, Jace,” Robert said. “I'm sure it's just a small flu.”

Alec didn't even realize that he had entered the room. 

Jace stood up and brushed his knees off with a frown. His mother stood beside him, holding Isabelle in her arms.

“Alexander, are you alright?” she questioned as she rubbed her daughter’s back.

Alec shrugged in reply. As his sister hiccuped, he suddenly feeling guilty for making his family worried.

“I dunno… I feel weird,” he admitted. He fiddled with the hem of his sweater nervously. It was a bad habit of his that was the cause of the many frayed sweaters in his closet.

"And how long have you been feeling weird?” His dad asked.

He shrugged once more, his paranoia growing as he replied, “When Auntie Elizabeth left.”

He drowned out the voices around him, vaguely hearing Jace say, "Makes sense. She was a sick woman."

Alec started feeling sick after his cousin left, after he saw Nicholas and his hat that reminded him of Magnus.

 _Magnus_.

Would Magnus miss him if he stayed home sick?

Alec knew that he would definitely miss him, despite the fact that they didn't speak much. He always enjoyed seeing the different outfits that Magnus had on.

He wasn't sure if he wanted to miss class. It wouldn't be worth it if it meant he wouldn't be able to see Magnus for days. 

And what if he _died_? Then he'd never see him at all.

He suddenly felt like throwing up.

Would Magnus cry if he died? 

Alec pictured the boy sobbing in class with tears streaming down his face.

His heart began to hurt and he gasped for breath, putting a hand over his chest, an action that didn't go unnoticed by his family members.

Wailing once more, Isabelle wriggled free from her mother's embrace and hugged her brother tightly.

" _Alec_!" She cried loudly as his dad knelt down in front of him. Alec stumbled a bit, but hugged his sister steadily.

"Alec," Robert said slowly, "If you can't breathe we're going to have to take you to the hospital. You need to tell us what's wrong, son."

Alec carefully took in a breath, silently thankful that it didn't hurt.

"Magnus..." His words faltered.

His father furrowed his brows. "Who?"

"He's our classmate," Jace interrupted, taking a step closer. "He's really sparkly and short."

"And did this Magnus kid hurt you?" 

Alec shook his head vigorously.

"No! He wouldn't, he's too nice for that!" He exclaimed defensively. "He's always been really nice to me, dad. H-he's happy all the time and he always smiles and waves at me, too, and... 

His father visibly relaxed as he babbled on. Out of the corner of his eye, Alec noticed his mother nudge him with the edge of her mouth slightly upturned.

"I see what's going on here," his father said with a nod, "You like Magnus."

Not quite understanding what he meant, Alec blinked at him. What did him liking Magnus have to do with anything?

"Yeah... He's my classmate and I've known him since pre-school. Everyone likes him."

Maryse walked over to Alec and grabbed his hand, tugging lightly.

"I'll tell him. You get back to work," she told his father gently, but scolded more fiercely with her gaze.

She led all the children to the living room and sat down on one of the couches. She patted the place beside her, but Alec decided to sit on her knee.

Smiling at him, she gently stroked her fingers through his hair.

"Tell me about Magnus." 

"He has an accent that kind of reminds me of a pirate and -"

"Thank you, Jonathan," Maryse sighed.

Jonathan smiled brightly at her like he had given her all the information she would need, and then he was reaching over to help Isabelle onto the couch.

As his siblings started to play some kind of hand game his sister had learnt in class, Alec pondered over the what his mom might want to know about Magnus.

His mind drifted back to the first day he had met the boy, reminding him of the first and last time he had seen Magnus smile in pre-school.

At the unhappy memory, he slowly said, "Magnus and his family moved here from Indonesia when we were in pre-school. He has an accent, but it's not like a pirate's. Pirates sound funny."

Alec peered at his mom and she gestured for him to continue.

"He wasn't in my class again until this year, and he's still shorter than me, but... He's different now. He still draws, but now he puts this stuff on his eyes and paints his nails different colours. He also has different outfits - you should see them, mom, they're really cool!"

His mom laughed and he took that as a good sign.

"A-and he draws these really pretty drawings everyday. I told him so, and his face turned red."

Then he took a pause at the familiarity of the situation.

Magnus' face was red that day, and so was Clarissa's when he gave back her ruler... and so was his.

_Your face is red. Are you sick?_

Alec scrunched his nose in puzzlement as he tried to make sense of it all.

"Confused?" His mother questioned, and Alec wondered, not for the first time, if she had all the answers in the world.

"It's called a crush," she explained, " It happens to a lot of people."

"Crush? You mean, I want to crush Magnus?"

"No, not like that."

"He wants to crush _me_?" Alec asked in disbelief and horror.

"Then I'll crush him!" Isabelle stated with determination.

 Jace silently backed away from his adoptive sister in fear. Alec didn't blame him.

"No, there will be none of that, Isabelle," their mother raised an eyebrow at her. "A crush simply means that you like them."

That didn't help Alec at all since he already knew that he liked Magnus. He had said so, too.

"You mean that Alec _like likes_ Magnus?" Jace asked with a wide grin.

Feeling himself grow flustered, as he always did whenever Magnus was involved, Alec looked around frantically, trying to find something that would help him from further embarrassment.

"Exactly." Maryse confirmed, and it made him want to hide in the shooting arena behind a stack of bows and arrows.

Not helping the situation, Jace burst out laughing. "Alec has a crush on Magnus!"

Alec was tempted to throw a couch cushion in his face.

"W-what about you, Jace? Don't you have a crush on Clarissa?" Alec countered, trying his best not to stammer.

At her name, Jace ceased his laughter and crossed his arms defensively.

"I don't know who that is," he lied.

Alec glared daggers at his brother. Or at least, he tried to seem as menacing as he could.

"That's a lie."

All eyes turned to look at Isabelle who looked radiant with happiness.

"You talk about her all the time! You said that she was cute and that she had pretty red hair," she giggled.

For once, Alec was glad that his little was the type to _want_ to tell the truth to their parents. 

"Did not!"

"Did too!" Isabelle declared and stuck her tongue out at him. "Her name is Clary Fray, mommy."

Maryse muttered the familiar name under her breath for a moment and then -

"Clarissa Fairchild?"

Alec watched in satisfaction as Jace's face flushed in embarrasment.

 _Serves him right,_ he thought when the blond haired boy made up an excuse and practically ran out of the room.

Contrary to what he expected Isabelle to do, the little girl scooted over so that she could tug on Alec's arm.

"Alec, Alec, Alec," she repeated as she kept tugging.

Honestly, if he wasn't so protective over his cute little sister, he might've rolled his eyes at her persistence. Instead, he slid down next to her and asked her what she wanted.

"I wanna be your flower girl!" she exclaimed joyfully.

He knew that a flower girl was the one who threw petals down the aisle at weddings, but he was pretty sure he wouldn't need one now.

"I don't need a flower girl, Iz," Alec said, causing Isabelle to shake her head.

"Yes you do, how else are you s'posed to marry Magnus?"

Alec blinked at her a couple of times. Then her words were processed and he coughed wildly in shock.

"W-what?" he managed to choke out.

Isabelle suddenly stood up on the couch, towering over him and standing at the same height as Maryse, who seemed equally as surprised as he did.

"Alec, don't you know? If you have a crush on Magnus, then that means that he'll be your boyfriend someday, and then you'll be married," she scolded him with her hands on her hips.

_Didn't she threaten to crush him a while ago?_

He heard his mom make a noise of disapproval from behind him, and the next thing he knew, she was carrying Isabelle in her arms.

"Not everyone gets married, Izzy," Maryse brushed a strand hair out of her eyes, saying, "Anyways, we can talk more about this if you'd like, Alexander. It's past both of your bedtimes, and you have school tomorrow."

She walked towards the staircase before stopping to add, "That means you too, Jonathan!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Jace shouted back from who-knows-where.

* * *

That night, when his mother had tucked him into bed with the promise of taking him to the arena after school, Alec found himself sleepless and staring up at the glowing star stickers on his ceiling.

He would try to count sheep, but he knew from past experience that it would be pointless.

Huffing in annoyance, he rolled over to his side, pressing a cheek against his pillow and one arm under it.

Having a crush was tiring yet he couldn't seem to fall asleep.

He had a crush. On Magnus.

Alec turned over once more to press his face against the pillow in an attempt to suppress the scarlet colour flooding to his face, but to no avail.

It wasn't as if he didn't like having a crush on Magnus, Magnus was probably the best person to have a crush on, in his opinion.

It was more of the fact that if his thoughts wavered over to the shorter boy, he'd never be able to face him ever again.

Actually, now that he was thinking about it, how would he face Magnus?

Did Magnus have a crush on him too? Alec wouldn't have any clue if he did.

If Alec had to guess, he'd say that Magnus would've had a crush on Clarissa. And if she liked him back, Magnus might be her boyfriend.

An unpleasant feeling spread over Alec's chest. A situation like that would be _bad._

Jace had a crush on Clarissa and Alec had one on Magnus, and if they became boyfriend and girlfriend that they might get married someday.

Alec shuddered at his own imagination that had unexpectedly turned into a nightmare before he even fell asleep.

On the other hand, if Magnus had a crush on him instead, that would cause more problems.

What if Alec did something that made the other boy _not_ have a crush on him anymore?

That would be worse than anything else, even worse than the time his father let Isabelle help him make sandwiches for their picnic last summer.

Alec sighed out loud and laid on his side.

Crushes weren't as fun as his mom made them out to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made Maryse and Robert nice in this story because I'd like to think that in some other universe they're more understanding than in the show.  
> Also, on a sidenote: this story doesn't have a beta. If there are any grammatical errors that I may have missed, please let me know. :)
> 
> Thank you all so much for the comments on the last chapter; it was a pleasant surprise!  
> I'll see you all in the next update.


	3. Definitely

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red lipgloss and blue flowers;  
> In which Alec's attempt to confess to Magnus is a definite fail... Or is it?

Alec trudged through his classroom door with determination set in his hazel eyes. He gripped the straps of his red Spider-Man backpack firmly in his fists.

Having spent all night thinking long and hard about this, he came to one conclusion:

He could definitely do this. 

He _would_ definitely do this.

He scanned the colourful classroom in hopes of finding the one person he wanted to see, but his shoulders slumped in disappointment when there were no signs of the shorter boy.

Although he had planned to confess to Magnus about his newly discovered feelings, he realized that maybe he wouldn't do this after all.

Smiling weakly at his teacher as he passed by, Alec placed his backpack on the hooks at the back of the class, his steps heavier.

Maybe this was a sign from the Angels that he shouldn't do it.

He tried to think of happier things, like how his dad had packed his favourite lunch, or how he and Jace would finally go to the arena after so long.

Okay, so maybe one week wasn't _that_ long, but shooting arrows helped him relax. Being a second grader was more difficult than he thought, especially with crushes.

Like the one he has on Magnus.

Alec mentally groaned and he willed himself not to feel sad about the boy not showing up.

It wasn't something he could control, really. Anyways, Magnus would probably be back sometime this week.

But he really did want to see him today.

 _Don'tthinkaboutitdon'tthinkaboutitdon'tthinkaboutit_.

"Are you okay, Alexander?" A voice inquired from behind him.

He nearly lept out of his skin and he found his breath caught in his throat, from being scared and also by the way the voice had said his full name.

Spinning around as fast as he could, he failed to recognize just how close the person was.

In other words, he was nose to nose with none other than Magnus Bane, who he assumed was absent today.

They both jumped apart mumbling apologies to each other (Mrs. Branwell, their teacher, taught them that manners were important).

Alec took a step back and anything that he had thought about saying when he came to school were suddenly forgotten as he took in the sight of Magnus.

As always, his outfit was new, clean, and bright. It was pretty, but not as pretty as Magnus himself, who had his eyes lined in black again.

Alec could also faintly smell strawberries, which he assumed was coming from the red lip gloss Magnus had on.

By the angel, he was so adorable.

Alec clapped both his hands over his mouth when Magnus turned a bright red, and he was made painfully aware of how he had said the words out loud.

His classmate's jaw dropped in shock, and if he wasn't completely mortified he would've laughed at how it looked like a cartoon.

Prying his hands off his face, Alec waved them wildly in front of him as he tried to get himself out of the grave he had just dug.

"I-I'm so- _by the angel_ , I d-didn't- sorry, umm..." Alec stuttered. This was bad and embarrassing and- he swears his heart stops and beats faster at the same time.

He watched Magnus duck his head, and he cursed himself for letting his crush the best of him.

To think, he showed up with the intent to confess when he could hardly even explain himself now. He'd never be able to do it properly.

"Thank you," Magnus squeaked out, threw his backpack on a hook, and ran to his seat next to Clarissa, hands covering his face. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

Cursing his inability to talk normally to his crush, Alec walked stiffly to his own seat, knowing that he seemed very uncomfortable.

Stiffly because he could feel Magnus' eyes watching him and could hear Clarissa's whispers, which were no doubt intended to be quiet.

" _Does he like you back?_ " She asked loudly. Other classmates looked her way when they heard her question.

Alec wondered if slamming his head hard enough on his desk would save him. Usually his escape plans were better, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

This was definitely worse than any scenario he had thought up last night. He'd rather watch a horror movie than be sitting here, mortified at his slip up.

" _Clary_!" Magnus exclaimed sounding scandalized. He shot Alec a glance, sending the red head a dirty look when he saw him staring back.

Wait. Clarissa asked Magnus if he liked him back.

Surely she didn't mean that Magnus had a crush on him too, right? Unless he was completely wrong. He was new to this whole thing.

This whole like liking someone else thing wasn't Alec's strength, it was more of Jace's. He could handle multiplication as long as they were under five, but this was just... Something they never taught in class.

And Magnus was something that they'd never teach, even though he was Alec's favourite subject.

He snickered at his own thoughts. That was just silly. They only ever talked about people in class when there was gossip or when they were learning about dead people.

Ignoring the strange look he was receiving from Jace, he drummed his fingers against his desk with small ' _thumps_ '.

Well, if his teacher wasn't going to teach him lessons on Magnus, then he would just teach himself. 

"Alec!" He snapped his head up and his teacher sighed. He grinned at her sheepishly, promising to pay attention as she turned back to the board.

First and foremost, he'd have to wait until they were on a break.

* * *

"Alright, class, it is now 10:30. You all know what that means," Mrs. Branwell said, smiling as the class of second graders cheered and ran out of their seats.

Not wanting to waste any time, Alec eagerly darted out of his chair, only to groan when Jace had a firm grip on his wrist.

"What, Jace?" He asked, not even trying to mask his annoyance. He raised an eyebrow at his adoptive brother's expression.

Jace looked as if he would burst out laughing at any moment, which, Alec had to unfortunately learn from experience, could only mean two things.

1) He was about to humiliate him in some way.

Or 2) He had to use the bathroom really bad and he wanted Alec to go with him.

If Alec was being honest, he didnt know which option was worse.

"Pst, Alec, does Magnus like you back?" Jace asked in a loud voice, mimicking Clarissa's voice previously. He snickered when Alec blushed deeply from head to toe.

Alec wanted to throw a duck in his face.

He could feel stares all around him, but most importantly, he could feel stares coming from Magnus and Clary's direction.

He had no idea what to do.

In the best annoyed voice he could muster, he shot back, "I dont know what you're talking about. I don't have a crush on Magnus."

From the corner of his eye, he could see Mrs. Branwell walking towards them.

"I never said you- _woah_ ," Jace's face did a complete turn and he stared at something behind Alec in shock.

Hesitating slightly, Alec slowly turned his head to where Jace's gaze landed.

He immediately regretted his words because standing by his desk, Magnus stared back at him, his eyes watering to the brim with tears.

Alec's mouth formed an 'o' as his crush rushed out the room, his sobs trailing behind him with Clarissa right on his heels.

"Uh," Jace awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly with a guilty look, "Sorry, Alec."

Alec shot him a dirty look before sprinting in the direction his classmates had went.

It took him a while to find them, as he kept losing his way and tripped over a concrete step. He stopped when he saw Clary under a tree holding Magnus, who was rubbing his eyes harshly. 

Biting his lower lip, Alec hestitantly moved closer.

"- sides, my mom said that boys like that aren't worth crying over!" Clary was trying to soothe him, and Alec found himself greatful that they had became friends.

Though it did sort of hurt that Clary's mom had said that.

"Hi?" Alec grimaced as his greeting came out sounding like a question.

Two pairs of eyes suddenly turned to him, and Alec swallowed nervously when Magnus immediately turned his head away.

_This must be what an animal at the zoo feels like._

_"_ Alec, hi," Clarissa said, her voice lacking her usual cheerfulness and enthusiasm. "What are you doing here?"

He wasn't used to the girl being so hostile, so Alec couldn't be blamed for being more nervous than usual.

"I-I, um.. Just wanted to talk to Magnus." Alec stuttered, not tearing his gaze away from the younger boy.

Magnus was fixated on a small, blue flower in front of him.

"He doesn't want to talk right now, sorry," Clarissa said in a dismissive tone that was in no way apologetic.

"Clary..." Magnus murmured, nudging her carefully. He whispered something in her ear and she nodded.

"Fine." The red head reluctantly got up and walked away so they could talk privately, but not before she looked back many times to send daggers to Alec.

"So, uh, w-what I said, in the uh," Alec fumbled as he tried to explain himself. "Classroom... I'm sorry, Magnus, really-"

Magnus waved a hand dismissively and sniffled, wiping at his face blindly with his sleeve.

"It's fine. Really, Alexander, I'm not mad." He faked a smile and looked back at the ground.

Alec swore that his heart shattered into a million tiny pieces, like that time he and Jace broke when they played soccer indoors.

"Yeah, but- uh. I- uh," Alec sucked in air. He ran his fingers through his black hair. Well, he didn't spend all night awake for nothing. "Hah... I'm sorry."

"You said that already," Magnus chided, raising an eyebrow. 

At least he was looking at him.

"I know, I know, but this is for... For... Lying. I lied. T-to Jace. I don't not have a crush o-on you," Alec pouted, "But Jace kept making fun of me yesterday when I told him."

He hoped that complaining about Jace would make things easier.

"... You have a crush on me?" Magnus pointed to himself in disbelief.

"Um, y-yes?" Alec responded tentatively.

"Hmm..." Magnus looked at him thoughtfully, tapping his index finger on his chin, scrutinizing him up and down. "Okay."

Shooting Alec a winsome smile, Magnus bent down and plucked a light blue flower from it's stem. The same flower that he had been staring at a while ago when he had tried to block out Alec.

 "Okay?" Alec repeated, watching the boy's movements carefully, relief flooding through him.

"Mhm." Magnus reached up on his tippy toes and started to fiddle with the hair behind Alec's ear.

"Magnus, what -" The other boy shushed him and lowered himself down, staring back at Alec.

Magnus had a self-satisfied look of approval on his face at his own handiwork. He also had some sort of fondness in his eyes that made Alec weak in the knees. One wouldn't be able to tell that he had been crying a few mere minutes ago.

"I was right." Magnus stated, looking proud of himself.

Alec had no clue what he was right about, but his crush looked pretty when he was happy and he didn't want to ruin the moment by questioning it. Especially not after making him run away crying.

Looking left and right, Magnus softly pressed his lips against Alec's cheek.

"Bye!" Magnus exclaimed in a high pitched voice and dashed off quickly before Alec could protest.

Alec placed a hand over the place where Magnus had kissed him, his mouth open in shock.

If he had been listening closely, he would've heard Clarissa laughing in delight as she chased after her best friend.

* * *

Running through the metal gate of the soccer field, Alec gasped for breath, having run all the way there. He was late for the match, and losing focus after being kissed didn't help.

Jace, who was with their teammates for the day, came up to him.

"You're late. The older kids wanted to start without you. Also," Jace pointed a finger to his face, "Your cheek is red."

Rolling his eyes, Alec slapped the hand away. "I get it, Jace, I'm blushing."

"No, really, it's _red_." Jace rubbed a thumb over his cheek harshly. When he pulled back, he inspected it suspiciously. "Is it blood?"

Alec was at a loss. He had no idea how that had gotten on his face. "Uhh..."

"Are we gonna play or not, Lightwoods?!"  A fifth grader yelled. Others joined in and began to voice their impatience.

"Coming!" Jace shouted back, wiping his thumb on his shorts. "You and Magnus okay?"

With a grin, and his cheeks stained with a different type of red, Alec nodded. "Definitely."

Jace shot him a questionable look, but shook his head.

"Anytime before recess ends, Lightwoods!" The same fifth grader shouted once more, more annoyed than before.

Alec and Jace rolled their eyes and laughed to themselves before heading back to their team.

"Magnus was the one who put that dumb flower in your hair right?" Alec smacked Jace upside the head.

"Focus on the game." Alec high-fived some of the members on his team as they got into their positions.

"So I'm right, right?"

Alec groaned. " _Jace_."

His adoptive brother snickered and waggled his eyebrows as he ran to his own spot on the field.

Shaking his head with a fond smile, Alec _tried_  not to think of Magnus as he and his team scored point after point, annihilating the opposing team.

Emphasis on _tried_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it, because it was honestly really fun to write haha.


	4. Green Isn't Your Colour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus isn't too happy about all the boys and girls that fawn over Alec. And as cute and as fashionable he may be, green wasn't his colour.
> 
> Part one because reasons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aka. The first of many chapters told from Magnus' point of view.

Magnus wouldn't necessarily peg himself as the jealous type. When he had a crush on Camille in kindergarten, he didn't care much about the plenty of admirers he knew she had. Or at least, he tried not to care.

That being said, there was something about the way Raj continuously complimented Alec that made him feel angry of some sorts.

Magnus' brows were furrowed in observation as Alec and Raj threw their heads back in laughter at a joke. He knew that his future self would blame him for any wrinkles he might have, but he couldn't help it.

He knew there wasn't much to be jealous of, Raj was just a nice person who happened to be a fan of Alec's soccer skills.

And if Magnus was being completely honest, Raj had no sense of fashion. He was pretty sure that his clothes were the same ones he had worn all week. Magnus wouldn't be caught dead wearing the same outfit twice in a month, let alone wearing it everyday.

Then again, Alec wasn't any better. Magnus sat up straighter in his seat.

Was that what Alec liked? Poorly dressed boys who knew about sports and wore superhero shirts and light up shoes?

Jutting his bottom lip out, Magnus crossed his arms on his desk and leaned on them, pouting all the while. He could pull off many looks, but the iron-on-superhero-logo  look was not one he was willing to try even for Alec. 

Just then, Jace clapped a hand on Alec's shoulder, wrapping his arm around his brother.

Magnus wanted to tear Jace's arm off Alec. He slumped down lower, not wanting to see any more but also not being able to look away.

He wished Alec would talk to him like that, without appearing nervous or hesitant.

Alec had said he had a crush on him in his own words, but Magnus was so overwhelmed that he forgot to say that he had a crush on him, too.

What Alec if didn't know that Magnus had a crush on him? No, he had too. Magnus _kissed_ him for gosh sake.

Magnus' face warmed up at the memory. He hadn't expected Alec to confess to him, and the kiss happened in a moment of short-lived boldness.

As nice as it was for him, what if Alec didn't enjoy it? What if he hated flowers? Or blue? Or blue flowers? Even worse, what if Alec didn't actually like him and only said he did to make him stop crying?

That would be really bad, and Magnus wasn't sure if he could handle it if it were true.

He dug his fingers into his scalp and chewed on his bottom lip.

Ever since his mother had started going out with a man Magnus didn't know, he was constantly expecting the worst.

Magnus had no clue what the man wanted from them. He didn't want the man in his life. He was in perfectly fine with only having a mom, couldn't he see that?

Suddenly, warm hands grasped his own and pulled them out of his hair. 

"Is this about Devon again?" Clary asked timidly. She rubbed circles over Magnus' knuckles.

Magnus flinched at the name of his mother's boyfriend. "No." As his best friend, Clary knew him inside-out, from the stories of his past to his life in the present.

"You're an awful liar." 

Magnus made a face, sticking his tongue out at her. 

"Why don't you just talk to him?" Clary released her grip to poke him in the forehead. "It'll make him happy."

He didn't care in the slightest about Devon being happy. If the man wasn't happy, that was his own problem.

"I don't want to talk to him. He ways tries to talk to me about cars. I hate cars." Magnus complained. He was fed up with the constant car talk. _He didn't care._

If Devon were as smart as his mother made him off to be, he wouldn't try to talk to Magnus at all. It was the best for the both of them, really.

"I meant Alec," Clary leaned her free arm on her desk. "You should talk to him. It's not hard, everyone does it all the time." She nodded to the small group of people surrounding Alec.

She was so nonchalant that Magnus wanted to believe that doing anything around Alec was easy.

"Talk him about what? Cars?" Magnus mimicked his friend's position.

Clary shoved his chest lightly, playfully rolling her eyes at him.

"Talk to him. All the girls do it." She turned to where Alec, Jace, and Raj were still having a conversation.

Except now, their classmate Emily had taken Raj's spot, and was pointedly ignoring both Jace and Raj in favour of talking to Alec.

She let out a giggle so high-pitched that it made Magnus wonder if dogs could hear it from far outside the class walls.

Flipping her dark brown hair over one shoulder, Emily placed a hand on Alec's arm and Magnus gaped as his crush let it happen.

He never did like Emily or her Tinkerbell backpack that much. It didn't even have the  _nice_ kind of sparkled decal.

"Do they all do that?" Magnus found himself questioning, an ugly sensation rising at the pit of his stomach.

Clary pursed her lips, making a weird expression. "Yeah, most of them do."

Magnus felt his heart drop out of his chest. Raj he could compete with, but all the girls in his class? He wouldn't stand a chance.

"Clary," Magnus began warily, "What if he has a crush on one of them?" 

He felt his body go rigid as he got more antsy. Patting his arm, Clary hugged his side.

"Don't worry," She squeezed him tighter, "He has a crush on you!"

She did have a point, Magnus noted. He bet that Alec never told Emily he had a crush on her.

However, a tiny voice at the back of his mind was saying its doubts. It was a challenge to pretend that he couldn't hear it.

Magnus knew firsthand that crushing and liking and loving always left as fast as it arrived.

He witnessed his dad fall out of love with his mom, her begging and crying to get him to stay only for him to walk out of their lives. His mom couldn't take the heartbreak, living the next few months with the constant reminder of the husband she had lost, and the father Magnus would never see again.

When the day came one where he woke up and she had announced they were moving to America, Magnus wasn't surprised and proceeded to pack his things. 

In first grade, he had had a crush on Camille Belcourt. She was awful and he knew it; even his mom, who liked everyone, didn't like her.

"Magnus," Clary broke him out of his thoughts, "He's like, the most popular second grader. You can't be jealous of everyone that talks to him."

"I'm not jealous of everyone that talks to him." He insisted stubbornly, narrowing his eyes in a glare that would kill if looks could kill.

He gave Emily a dirty look as she waved goodbye to Alec and pranced off to her group of friends who were sitting in a circle on the rug. She glanced back in their direction and smirked at Magnus in satisfaction before focusing back on the group.

As they all leaned in closer, she told them something with excited eyes and clasped her tiny hands over her heart. They all squealed loudly and Emily grinned wider, laughing annoyingly loud enough for Magnus and Clary to hear from where they were seated.

"Green isn't her colour," Magnus stated with distaste as her stared down the emerald dress Emily had on.

Clary kicked his shin, "It's not your colour either. Don't be mean!"  
  
Blinking at her for a while before sighing, Magnus said, "Clary, I know you've been bad with your colours even though you've been learning them since pre-school-"  
  
"Wait, what?"  
  
"- but my outfit isn't green, it's turquoise. I gave you the lesson on colours a long time ago, weren't you listening?"  
  
Clary grumbled and punched his arm. "First of all," she returned his glare, "My mom taught me the colours when I told her I wanted to be an artist. And second of all, I didn't mean your clothes. I meant that being jealous doesn't look good on you."

Magnus didn't understand the connection between a colour and an emotion, but he shrugged it off as being another American thing.

"You know, sayang, you should really stop hitting me all the time. That's obtuse." He said, rubbing his arm dramatically like it pained him.

"You mean abuse? And you know I do it out of love."

"No, I mean obtuse. And do I know that?"

"Abuse. And yes. Yes you do."

"Obtuse."

"Abuse."

"Obtuse abuse." Magnus stated as Mrs. Branwell stood at the front of the class, signalling the end of free time.

"She looks a lot like her daughter, you know." Clary whispered when their teacher had her back turned.

Mrs. Branwell asked a question, and Magnus attempted to refrain a grimace as Emily answered, before diverting her attention back to board.

"You mean that kindergarten student that likes to visit a lot?" Magnus asked, not bothering to look at Clarissa.

"Yeah," she said quietly, "Her name's Lydia. She's best friends with Alec's little sister."

"Alec has a sister?" Magnus questioned, this time, however, turning to face his friend.

"Yeah, her name's Isa-"

"Ahem." They both turned abruptly to see Mrs. Branwell with her hands folded patiently in front of her, eyes looking straight at them. "Care to share with the class?"

Clary smiled sheepishly at her. "Uh, we really love math?" She said with painfully obvious fake enthusiasm.

Magnus cringed.

"That's wonderful, Miss Fray. I'll remember to keep that in mind when we finish our _spelling lesson_." She gave them a stern look.

"Sorry, Mrs. Branwell." Clary and Magnus said sincerely.

The teacher gave them a gentle smile. "It's fine, but please try to pay attention. Now..."

As soon as she turned away from them, Magnus kicked Clary's ankle, causing her to hiss in pain.

"I tried."

"Mhm."

"You know you love me."

"Do I know that?" He mocked before kicking her once more, trying not laugh as she let out a quiet yelp. "Yes, yes I do." 

* * *

 "Dude, you'll never guess what happened!" Jace barged into his adoptive brother's room early Saturday morning.

Alec, who was rudely awakened and definitely not a morning person, rubbed his eyes.

"You _always_ say that every time something happens," He grumbled and pushed off his bed sheets. "What is it now, did dad make chocolate waffles?"

Hopping down from his bed, he followed his brother into the hallway.

"And you _always_  guess wrong," Jace laughed and practically dragged him downstairs by the hand. "Come on!"

As they ran to wherever Jace was leading them, Alec noticed that no one else was inside.

The usually busy living room had the television off, and Isabelle's door was wide open without her inside the room.

"Where is everyone?" He asked aloud, still barely awake.

If Jace was going to show him something lame, he was going straight back to bed to sleep until tomorrow.

"That's where I'm taking you!" Jace sounded urgent and pulled him out of the house. "Look!" The boy towards the unoccupied house across the street.

Or at least, it was unoccupied yesterday.

Alec saw a dozen people carrying furniture and boxes into the house, his father included in the bunch.

Suddenly, he felt very excited at the prospect of having new neighbours. Rarely anyone ever moved into his neighbourhood.

"Alec!" His mother called from their lawn and he ran up to her.

She was smiling and holding a sleeping Max in her arms.

"Nice to see you finally awake," She said, and gestured to a brunette woman and a boy his age standing beside her. "This is Mrs. Lewis and her son, Simon. He's your age and is starting school at your school on Monday."

His new neighbour, Simon, wore a comic book t-shirt and smile tentatively at him. He was skinny, with glasses, brown hair and a friendly vibe.

"H-hi," He greeted. Then his eyes widened and he turned to his mother. "Mom, he's taller than the other one."

Alec looked to his own mom who appeared to be amused by him. 

He wasn't sure if he was supposed to be offended by Simon. Then again, he was the second tallest boy in his grade.

Mrs. Lewis whispered something to his son and rubbed his shoulder encouragingly. She nudged him to Alec.

"Um, my mom told me to say sorry. I don't know why, but I'm sorry that you're tall," Simon said and attempted a smile.

Alec brushed it off. He didn't think there was a need to apologize. "Do you like soccer?" He asked as his sister joined them.

"Uh, I guess?" Was his reply, and he waved at Isabelle. "Hi, Isabelle."

She waved back, smiling delightedly at someone paying attention to her.

It wasn't that Alec and Jace meant to exclude her from their games, it was just that she was so young and Alec didn't want her to get hurt. Every time they went out to play soccer or go to the arena, however, she would always insist that she was just as strong as they were. She probably was, Alec noted, but there were risks that he refused to take.

"Simon, Simon, can I play soccer with you guys?" She pleaded with a pout.

Alec was about to go against it, but Simon agreed right away.

"Yay!" Isabelle cheered and went to go get a soccer ball.

Alec sighed and shot him a look, to which Simon flinched at before shrugging and smiling.

He could always tell his Isabelle not to play with them, but the last thing he would ever want to see was Isabelle sad because of him.

So, he, Jace, Isabelle, and their new neighbour Simon played soccer in the Lightwood backyard until the street lights were dark and their parents called them in for dinner.

And when Isabelle fell down and scraped her knee while they were cleaning up, it didn't shock Simon to see her covered head to toe in protective gear the next morning while Alec fussed over her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SIMON LEWIS HAS ARRIVED!  
> Which means that a certain someone just so happens to arrive from vacation next time.
> 
> For those who haven't seen it yet, I re-wrote chapter 1 because I wasnt exactly satisfied with how it was originally.  
> Thank you for reading this chapter, and I hope you'll enjoy the next one. I know I will.  
> (＾＿－）
> 
>  
> 
> UPDATE:  
> Hello, everyone! I originally wrote this chapter way back in June with the promise to update it all those months ago, when for some reason I never did. I'm terribly sorry for the long hiatus, and I've definitely had some time after school where I could've updated but never did.  
> And also, it is currently 4:40AM in the morning, so I'll sleep for a bit, then edit the many mistakes I'm sure this chapter has and have a better explanation for those that want one.


	5. Pain is the Name of the Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which people regret and remember things they wish they didn't.

"Magnus, what're you doing?" Alec asked, approaching the shorter boy, who was heading in the direction of the large group of students gathered together. Today was Friday, and Fridays after school meant soccer with various students of different classes and grades on the gravel field. It was also the last place he expected to see Magnus.  
  
Magnus grinned at him, and Alec became aware that the boy had disregarded his usual glitter-covered outfits for a soccer uniform, complete with the school's jersey and soccer shoes.

"I'm gonna play soccer with you!" Magnus replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and he did it all the time. Which he didn't. Which was even more confusing for Alec who didn't even know how he managed to obtain a school jersey in the first place.

He stared after his crush dumbly, watching him stride towards the coach with his head held high. "What?"  
  
Coach Garroway appeared as equally confused at the appearance of Magnus. He had known the boy for years, and seeing him wasn't something he anticipated.

"Oi, Lightwood, tell Magnus to find another team to play with, yeah?" Raphael called out. A protective feeling washed over Alec and he glared at Raphael in distaste. And it wasn't just because he was bitter over Raphael using Magnus' first name.  
  
Raphael had been in an extended vacation to visit his family in Hawaii since the last month of first grade, claiming that it would be prolonged family reunion. He had arrived Monday morning with his same irritated attitude. Alec himself wasn't exactly known to be the happiest person in the class, and with siblings like Isabelle and Jace he seemed to be the grumpiest out of all of them. However, compared to Raphael, Alec was practically a ray of sunshine, and he wasn't surprised that Raphael hadn't changed at all in the half a year he was gone.

Magnus rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively at Raphael, continuing on with his conversation with the coach. Raphael scoffed and rolled his eyes, but Alec could tell there was no real malice behind his actions. Strangely enough, it almost seemed as though the actions were affectionate.  
  
Raphael caught Alec staring at their interactions and rolled his eyes once more, this time with an air of annoyance. "No need to be jealous. He's your boyfriend, after all," he said, crossing his arms. At those words, he garnered the attention of a majority of the people gathered nearby.  
  
Inwardly cursing himself for being prone to blushing at everything that indicate his feelings for Magnus, Alec attempted to keep his expression neutral as he squeaked, "H-he's not my boyfriend!". Oh yes, he was  _very_ good at not letting his emotions get the best of him.  
  
Arriving back at Idris seemed to be easy for Raphael due to the fact that the school had a small amount of students enrolled and everyone knew almost everyone despite the difference in ages, and he was quickly caught up with all the gossip. Which also meant that he had heard the rumour of two boys in his grade who started dating. Or at least, rumour had it that they were dating.  
  
Romantic relationships only ever happened with the 'big kids', the one's with cellphones who were allowed to leave their houses without parental supervision. It had spread like wildfire when students in the hallway would hear the topic of two younger students dating, one of whom was Alec.  
  
When Raphael had learned that one of the boys had been Alec of all people, he had found a way to incorporate his crush into everyone one of their conversations.

"Magnus isn't his boyfriend _yet_ ," Jace added, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling his brother closer to him, "He's still trying to woo Magnus." He nudged Alec's side playfully.  
  
Alec feigned a groan of annoyance. 'Woo' had been the newest, and currently most popular, addition of common vocabulary of the Lightwood household. According to his younger sister, it was something that a boy or girl did to get the person they loved to love them back.

He blamed his new neighbours for Izzy's sudden interest in soap operas, and the endless binge watching of acting that was so over-dramatic that Alec felt second hand embarrassment just by witnessing it.

The players on the field began laughing as Alec became more and more embarrassed. 

"Hey!" Alec swatted Jace's hands away. At that moment, a sixth grade girl, Alec was pretty sure they referred to her as a 'Queen', pinched his cheeks playfully.  
  
He nearly barfed as the strong scent of perfume engulfed him.

"So cute," She cooed at him, "No wonder all the girls like you." She giggled, scrunching his face together and effectively killing the warmth on his face because  _by the Angel,_ her hands were as cold as the winter snow.

To Alec's disbelief, it was Jace who pushed her away. 

"Hey, no touching. He has a boyfriend," Jace said, puffing his chest up in a protective manner. 

The 'Queen' simply laughed in response at his actions. "Of course. We wouldn't want little Lightwood here falling for the charm of a Seelie."

Alec had no idea what a 'Seelie' was, but he knew there was no way he would ever fall for her and her weirdly neon blue eyelids.

Someone cleared their throat and the three turned to see Coach Garroway standing beside an annoyed-looking Magnus. The 'Queen' or 'Seelie Queen', or whoever she was, either didn't mind or didn't see the glare sent her way.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, get your teams together!" Coach Garroway called out. He watched as they assembled into their usual groups and patted Magnus on the shoulder.

The boy seemed unsure of where to go and fidgeted, kicking around in the sand with his shoes. "I assume you want to be on the same team as Alec?"

Alec, who had stayed behind to wait for Magnus, nodded encouragingly at the boy. Magnus nodded back and smiled sheepishly up at Coach Garroway.  
  
He smiled back, tousling his hair. "Go for it, kiddo."

Grinning, Magnus and Alec held hands and joined the others where they were huddled at the end of the field.  
  
Luke chuckled as they left, his head shaking in amusement, "Oh, Rika's gonna love hearing this."

* * *

"Same play as last time?" Jace asked, smiling wickedly at Alec when he noticed the two with their fingers entwined. Alec stuck his tongue out but didn't release his hold on Magnus.

Magnus chuckled awkwardly, suddenly realizing that Jace and Alec were the only people he knew here.

"Hell no," An older kid refused, shaking her head in distaste. "That play was a total bust."

A few mumbled in agreement. One boy with brown however, yelled out, "It worked last week!"

The girl rolled her eyes. "It didn't work the day after that, and it didn't work yesterday. Let's just go with one of Lightwood's. Kid never loses," She jerked her head towards Alec.

Magnus gaped at the praise from the older kid. He heard people talk about how good Alec was at playing soccer, but to hear a compliment from an older kid, of all people? That was something he didn’t expect.

"Lightwood," The boy from earlier called out, "You gotta plan o' attack?"

All eyes were on the black-haired boy, and it surprised Magnus to see how much they trusted Alec with the game. It surprised him even more when he saw a look of determination he didn't recognize.

"Yeah," Alec said firmly, "So, basically..."

The boy launched into details of an entire game plan, looking towards the respective players in affirmation of their parts.

Each member of the team seemed to know exactly what he was saying and what they were supposed to do.

Every one except Magnus that is.

Not only did he not understand a thing about soccer, he was also still taken aback by this side of Alec.

It was so different from the shy and quiet Alec who always turned red at the smallest things that Magnus had to take a second to remember that they were the same person.

The team stared at the play Alec had drawn into the gravel with a stick. Some would point at an 'x' drawn and Alec would dust it away with and move it elsewhere.

Magnus tried to understand, really he did, but after he heard a soccer term that he didn't know, he blanked out.

Also, everyone was so... serious. He thought this was a friendly game of soccer. If Magnus didn't know any better, he would've thought that they were planning for war.

"Teams ready?" Luke shouted in the middle of the field between the two teams.

Magnus heard the other team cheer in agreement, followed shortly by his own team yelling back, including Jace and Alec.

Which was something else he didn't understand because if Luke was asking him if they were ready, why were they screaming like that? Was that another soccer thing, to scream at people who ask questions?

Jumping out of his thoughts (literally jumping due to Luke blowing a loud whistle), Magnus was surrounded by a clouds of dust as people ran into their positions.

Positions. Where are on Earth was he supposed to go? He was regretting his decision to play already, and the game hadn't even started. At least, he doesn't think it has.

The brown-haired player from earlier was going past, and Magnus exclaimed at him, "Um, excuse me? What am I supposed to... do?" He was slightly worried that the boy was going to yell at him like he had earlier at Luke.

The player raised an eyebrow at him, staring down at him as if talking to him was the last thing he wanted.

"Do you get the plans at all?" He sneered.

"Uhh, I chase after the ball and try to score?" Magnus smiled nervously. There were many reasons that he didn't get involved with the older kids, one of them being intimidation.

Come to think of it, Alec reminded him of an intimidating older kid he used to know. Funnily enough, he was sure that the two looked the same, with black hair and brown eyes. Except he didn't know what ever happened to that boy. There was a possibility that they went to the same school, but if they did, Magnus would probably know.

He spared a glance to Alec who displayed confidence and courage. He squinted at him. He did look at lot like that boy... What was his name again?  
  
“God, you’re gonna ruin us,” The boy pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and a forefinger, “Do you even speak English that well?”

Magnus glared at the insult, ready to stand up for himself. He may have panicked and cried the first time that Alec asked him a similar question all those years ago, but after a few years of making new friends and talking, he’s learned not to let himself be pushed around.

Hold on. Alec was that kid from preschool. Magnus froze. How could he forget that?

He could hear his heart pounding loudly, and whether it was because of what the boy had said to him or discovering that Alec was the one who caused him to cry on his first day of preschool, he didn’t know.

Alec certainly wasn't the same as he was when they were younger. He knows by now that what he said all those years ago wasn't meant to be offensive. He had burst out into tears when his mom brought him home that day, and the rest of the day was spent cuddling with her while she assured him that no, it didn’t mean the boy was making fun of his voice and no, his accent was not something to be mocked for.

Nevertheless, it didn't mean that Magnus didn't think about it every now and then.

That was Alec. Alec was him. Alec, the boy he liked, was that boy he was scared of. Was he still scared? No. He couldn't be. He knew Alec.

Yet, as Magnus continued to focus on Alec, and how his eyes shone with dauntlessness (which Magnus learned was a fancier way to say courage), he wondered just how much he knew about Alec.

He was so caught up with the sudden recognition, he was unaware of the older boy trying to teach him about mid-fielders and defenders.

"Yo, Alec, I get that he's your boyfriend and all, but do you really want'a take the risk of ruining the game?" The boy sighed exasperatedly. Alec turned in their direction but shifted uncomfortably before running off.

Magnus would be lying if he said it didn't hurt.

He opened his mouth to defend himself, because his mother always told him to never give in to bullies, when -

"Shut up, idiot," Some chided from the sidelines. Another boy with green streaks in his hair came up to them, shooting the other one a stern glare. "The kid wants to play, let him. Not like it's a real game."

The bully blinked at cabbage boy, swallowing in what appeared to be fright, and then muttering something and running off in another direction.

Cabbage boy made a sound of annoyance before sticking out his hand, "Ragnor," He greeted politely with a British accent, unlike the tone he used to speak to the bully.

"Magnus," He greeted back, shaking the offered hand, “I like your hair.” He grinned.

"I know," Ragnor - Magnus kinda liked Cabbage Boy better as a name- laughed, "You're Lightwood's boyfriend, the whole team knows who you are."

Magnus tried to hide the way he tensed up at the sudden mention of Alec, but he could tell from the slight surprise in Cabbage's eyes that he had been noticed. Magnus expected him to bring it up and make him talk about it like the adults would (after all, Cabbage Boy was an older kid), but thankfully, he had changed the topic. 

"You ever played football 'fore?" Cabbage asked, keeping a steady gaze on the soccer ball which was rapidly heading for them, along with a horde of players chasing after it, desperately trying to get it in their possession. 

Magnus slightly feared for his life and became painfully aware of how he was in the defensive position. "We played it in gym class last month?"   
  
He slumped in relief as Jace reached the ball, kicking it back to the net of the opposing team. The blonde winked at the stands where students had stayed to watch the game.

Cabbage Boy was glancing between him and the other players worriedly, "Are you sure you want to be out here? I don't mean to be rude, but these people having been playing this game since they could walk."   
  
By the way he spoke, Magnus could tell that he really hadn't meant to be rude, and he felt no offense at the question. It wasn't as though he was terrible at physical activity, it was just that it was the least of his concern and it wasn't something he fancied to do on a regular basis.  
  
"I want to do this," Magnus said, determined not to give up before he even had the chance to properly try. Before he had gone out to the field, Clary told him that have to do this - to play soccer because he thought Alec would be more interested in him. But he was stubborn, and if he was gonna to fail miserably, at least he would do so knowing that he was the best dressed on the field.  
  
"Are you sure?" Cabbage repeated. At Magnus' affirmation, the older boy took on a running stance and pointed ahead of them, "Good, because they're headed this way."   
  
Magnus' eyes widened when he saw that, indeed, the massive horde of an army was coming for them with no signs of slowing down. He could feel his limbs freeze and he found himself able to move. He wanted to move; to go for the ball and to feel a sense of accomplishment, but his brain momentarily shut down.  
  
"What the hell, Duplesse?!" Cabbage shouted, kicking away the ball which had been aimed at Magnus. It was the brown-haired guy that had been sneering at Magnus, "He's on our team, you Git!"  
  
The rest of the members of the team also saw this and started yelling at him to stop. Duplesse, however, didn't, and ignored all the protests of the people behind him. He caught the ball once more and raised his leg swiftly with the intention to kick it heavily. He leered at Magnus and swung.  
  
"Oh my God!"  
  
"Duplesse, what the fuck are you doing?!"  
  
"He's a kid, you goddamn idiot!"

* * *

Alec swung his legs back on forth from where he was sitting on the bench. Magnus' head was in his lap where he laid on his side unconsciously due to the force of the soccer ball. To make matters worse, his nose had been bleeding for a while and he had been passed out long enough for Coach Garroway to call Magnus' mother and an ambulance.  
  
He ran a hand through Magnus' hair in an attempt to fix it since he knew how much the boy liked to keep his appearance neat and in order. He drowned out the sounds of the school principal chastising Kirk for being too rough, questioning if he had motives to harm the other boy.  
  
It was obvious that Kirk had hit Magnus with the soccer ball on purpose, and he felt a bit prideful when he heard that various students had stood up for him the moment Magnus fell to the ground.  
  
A shiver ran up his spine as he reminisced about how Magnus had fallen to the ground effortlessly, as if he had suddenly fallen asleep. Jace had gone completely red in the face before tackling Duplesse into the ground, his small fists hitting every part that he could reach.  
  
Coach Garroway and Ragnor had to separate them from each other, Alec was almost ashamed at how satisfied he was to see that Kirk had started bleeding in the nose as well, just as Magnus had. Jace, according to the nurse who had also joined them, had broken Kirk's nose, and would face severe consequences for doing so.  
  
Jace didn't flinch when the principal told him she would be calling their mom.  
  
Clary had immediately rushed down from the bleachers to her best friend, calling out his name over and over again on the verge of tears. She clutched onto her step-father tightly when Ragnor had carried Magnus to the bench, barking orders to inform the office of the situation.  
  
Now, here they were. Magnus, who's only indication that he was still alive was the slow rise and fall of his chest, and Alec, who knew the whole situation was his fault.  
  
The moment that they had managed to settle Magnus on the bench, Clary had admitted to Alec that the only reason he had decided to join the soccer game was because he thought it would make Alec like him more. Alec couldn't wrap his head around why Magnus would think that, but according to Clary, he had been jealous of the others in the class and was worried.  
  
And it was all his fault.  
  
He was the reason that Magnus had gone out on the field. He was the reason that Magnus got hurt by Kirk Duplesse. He saw Magnus' face when Kirk was talking to him and he had the chance to do something about it, to stop him from being mean to him, but he didn't do it. He caused Magnus to cry in preschool because he couldn't speak up and now they were in a similar situation, only worse.  
  
Holding Magnus' hand tightly, Alec listened to Jace explaining to their parents about what had happened, and Alec realized he hadn't even noticed they arrived. He didn't look away from Magnus, his breath hitching in surprise when he felt him stir.  
  
"Alec...?" Magnus said airily, as if he wasn't sure that Alec was really there.  
  
"Magnus," Alec felt a bit of relief seeing that he was awake, but that didn't mean the other boy was okay.

Magnus frowned, bringing up a hand to his head. "My head hurts." His words hard started to slur. It was a bad sign and Alec felt more helpless than ever. "What happened? Is the game over? Who won?"  
  
"It's over, Magnus," Alec said gently, pushing the boy's hand back down, "No one won, but it's over. Your mom's coming to take you to the hospital."  
  
"Hospital? Are you coming?" Magnus was blinking slowly. He was staring at Alec, but it didn't seem as though he could actually see him. "You sound sad. Don't be sad, Alec." He closed his eyes, turning to lay on his back.  
  
"Magnus?" Alec looked around frantically, trying to get the attention of one of the adults.  
  
Magnus squeezed the hand holding Alec's. "Wake me up when the game ends," Was the last thing he said before his breathing slowed down, and slipped back into unconsciousness.  
  
"Alec?" It was Luke. "The ambulance and Magnus' mom is here. They need you to let go of Magnus, okay?"   
  
Alec nodded mutely.   
  
Whatever events happened after Magnus had been carried away was something he couldn't remember, and he faintly recalls running up to his room the moment his parents took him home, with the words, _"He'll be okay,"_ replaying in his mind, followed by bitterness and resentment.

* * *

"Hey! Hey, you!"  
  
Raphael spun around to see the new kid run after him. Judging by the way his arms flailed wildly around, it was clear that the kid wasn't used to running.  
  
When he had reached Raphael, he placed his hands on his knees, panting loudly as gasped for air. He held a finger up, telling him to wait for a moment as caught his breath.  
  
Rolling his eyes, Raphael quickly lost his patience in whatever the boy was about to say, and started to leave the field without saying a word. He didn't care much about initiating conversations with people he didn't know. Especially if they didn't even have the strength to start a conversation.  
  
"I said," The boy huffed, "Wait."  
  
Raphael didn't wait.  
  
"Hey!" He felt a hand grab his arm, and turned once more. Only this time, the glasses-wearing boy had a huge grin plastered on his face, despite the fact that he was still tired from his ten second run.  
  
"Yes?" Raphael questioned with his arms crossed and eyebrow raised to show that talking was the last thing that he wanted to do right now.  
  
It seemed that the other boy didn't know how to take a hint, and his grin grew wider as he stuck out his hand. "Lewis. Simon Lewis."   
  
Raphael stared at the hand and made no motion to shake it. He looked back at Simon in time to see the grin had faltered, and Raphael almost felt bad for it.  
  
He cleared his throat, "And I needed to know your name because...?"  
  
Simon shrugged, "You didn't," then he smiled again, "I just wanted you to know that you were super cool on the field out there and that I'm your biggest fan now. No, seriously, dude. It was like watching the Flash out on the field! I mean, I know everyone talks about how awesome Alec is - and he is! Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to be rude to him and his skills. He's actually my neighbour, but I think I like his little sister better than him and his brother, she's alwa-".  
  
"Why are you telling me all of this?" Raphael asked. He recalled asking the reason behind Simon introducing his name, and not his entire life story. "Biggest fan. Great. Thanks."   
  
He was finished with the new kid the moment he yelled for Raphael to wait.  
  
"I just- uh, I wanted you to know," Simon said, his smile turning into something more soft.  
  
Raphael was taken aback by it. It reminded him of how Lightwood would smile at Magnus.  
  
"Thanks," He said in a more genuine tone. He stuck out his hand, "Santiago. Raphael."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rika is the name I've decided to give Magnus' mother (and I'm pretty sure I haven't given her one before?)
> 
> To be honest, I wasn't actually planning on Magnus passing out this chapter,
> 
> Next chapter is being written as we speak, and yes, Magnus will be fine. This will be the most dramatic chapter. For a while, at least.


	6. Hospital Drugs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1 of a barbecue party.

Magnus _hated_ hospitals.

They smelt like the Happy Meal toys from McDonald's after you rip them out of their plastic bags and though, logically, hospitals would never put something harmful in the air, he's almost positive that his lungs are burning from the scent.

Okay, maybe his lungs are just burning in general, but the smell of cheap plastic doesn't do anything to help. Neither does the constant, annoying beeping coming from around the room and outside the door.

Also, what kind of bed was he in? He's slept better on dirt when he went camping. Why was the pillow so high? His neck couldn't reach that far. And why did it look like a marshmallow? Marshmallows were sticky, and he for sure had some in his hair after he had laid down on it.

Magnus reached out, brushing his fingers on the marshmallow. It felt like a cloud. It was reassuring. Perhaps the bed wasn't as uncomfortable as he thought.

He giggled out loud for no apparent reason, abruptly overwhelmed by the sensation of happiness. It might’ve been because he now knew there would be no marshmallow in his hair. Though, his hair did feel gross anyways, so he would have to wash it regardless.

He flopped down on the bed, stretching his limbs out as far as he could reach, ignoring the sharp pain he felt on one of his hands as he wriggled around.

Inhaling deeply, Magnus hummed in satisfaction. The Happy Meal smell was gone, and was replaced by something lighter. It reminded him of his mother.

He wished his mother was here with him. She would like this place, he thinks. She could invite Devon too if she wanted, because for some odd reason, he doesn't feel any hatred for the man any longer. Magnus hopes his mother brings Alec with her as well. He doesn't know if his crush would appreciate the marshmallow pillow cloud, but he'd like to learn if he did.

Oh, yes, he'd like to learn many things about Alec. Who needed school when he's never had a class on Alec? Magnus pouted, upset at Idris for not teaching anything important.

Magnus would like to plan a party in this hospital room. He'd bring Alec, his mother, Clary, her parents; everyone he liked.

He wondered where they were. In school, possibly, learning about things that didn't matter when they should teach kids about Alec.

He missed Alec.

“Alec!” Magnus called out, hoping that the boy would hear him over Mrs. Branwell’s lesson in class.

She talked really loud, and he would feel guilty about thinking bad of her, but he can't find it in him to care.

He can't find it in him to feel anything but happy, really.

“... Magnus?”

Magnus shoots up straight, his chest throbbing with disagreement.

Sitting in a chair beside his bed is Alec. He’s staring at Magnus tentatively, like he's scared that he'll be yelled at just for being there.

Magnus’ eyes widen at the sight of him. Clearly, the boy must've heard him all the way from Idris and used some kind of warlock magic to portal to the hospital.

“Portals? Mags, I've been here for a long time with your mom. She just left, don't you remember? The doctors let me stay because I promised to follow the rules and not touch anything.”

Did he say that out loud, or was Alec a mind reader? Or did he use his warlock powers to read his mind?

Magnus doesn't remember his mom even being in the same room as him, let alone leaving it. Alec must be delusional, he concludes.

He giggled again, shuffling closer to Alec and leaning down from the bed so that their foreheads touch.

Magnus has always wanted to be this close to Alec. He's wanted to see his eyes up close and admire the way the brown in them is prettier than any colour he's ever seen. He can feel the warmth radiate off Alec, and it's so familiar that he wants to feel like this forever.

“You're pretty,” He sighs happily, closing his eyes and pressing forward even more. “Just like Clarissa. I love her.”

Magnus feels Alec pull away and he whines, opening his eyes and making grabbing motions towards him. Alec looks pained, like he had just been slapped across the face. If someone had ever slapped Alec, Magnus would slap them back. It was called _caramel_ , and it was when a person got what they deserved.

And right now, Alec deserved a hug.

Magnus reached towards Alec, but the boy leaned out of his grip.

“Clary?” He asked. His voice was shaking, “You love Clary?”

Nodding enthusiastically, Magnus grinned at him. “She's the bestest in the whole wide world. She's smart and pretty and funny and she's really good and drawing and we like the same things.” He rambled on, listing his favourite things about his best friend. He was unaware of how much it affected Alec.

“And you love her?”

Magnus crossed his arms over his chest, upset at how Alec wasn't listening to him properly. He vaguely recognized the tube that followed his hand.

“That's what I just said! She's my best friend!” He huffed.

“Do you like-like her?”

“No, I love her. Are you even listening?”

“But she's… I thought…” Alec’s shoulders sagged in defeat, “I didn't think she was that pretty.” He muttered.

Magnus kicked his knee lightly, “Don't be rude! That's my sister you're talking about! How would you like it if I said Isabelle wasn't pretty?”

Alec perked up at this, but there was still a trace a doubt. Magnus didn't like it. He wanted Alec happy forever and ever with his own marshmallow pillow clouds.

“Don’t be sad,” Magnus said. He felt like crying, just because Alec looked sad, “You need to be happy because I love you and I'll be sad if you are.”

To his pleasant surprise, Magnus saw Alec fluster.

“L-love?” He squeaked.

Magnus sighed peacefully once more, glad that Alec no longer appeared sad. There shouldn't be any sadness allowed in hospitals. No, no, that would be no good.

“Clary can be our flower girl!” Magnus exclaimed. He liked that idea very much. Clary would look very pretty throwing flowers down a wedding aisle. If she married Jace, then he'd be a flower boy. He wasn't sure if they existed, but if they didn't, he'd be the first (and also the best).

“- ou’re acting weird,” Oops. He didn't hear Alec talking to him.

“What?” He asked, thinking of different flower colours. Blue for Alec, because Alec was beautiful in blue. And in every other colour for that matter.

Alec pulled himself up onto the bed, sitting beside Magnus and taking one of his hands in his own. “The doctor gave you drugs so that wouldn't feel pain when you wake up. That's why you're acting weird.” His voice was practically in a whisper.

Drugs? Drugs were illegal. They were bad.

“Why are we whispering?” Magnus whispered, “Is it so the doctor doesn't know I took drugs?”

“Magnus, the doctor gave you the drugs.”

“Is it so the police don't know the doctor made me take drugs?”

Alec sighed in defeat.

* * *

Seeing his brother holding a crying Magnus wasn't exactly what Jace expected to see when he walked into the hospital room with Ms. Bane.

If the soap operas Isabelle watched with the Lewis’ were anything to go by, Magnus was supposed to be in a coma and Alec would be crying and talking to his unconscious body on the bed.

Alec kept apologizing, rubbing circles into the Magnus’ back and hugging him tightly. Ms. Bane ran towards her son.

“What's wrong? Is he hurt?” She asked frantically, pulling Magnus into her arms and carrying him. She checked him for any sign of harm, keeping in mind the tube attached to his hand.

“I'm sorry, mommy! I didn't mean to take drugs!” Magnus wailed loudly, clinging onto her like a lifeline.

Jace raised an eyebrow at Alec. Alec pointed to the needle in Magnus’ hand, and then pointed to a bag hanging on the IV stand.

He mimicked injecting something into the tube connected to Magnus. Jace pretended to know what he meant, nodding his head. Alec saw right through him and rolled his eyes.

At that moment, Isabelle poked her head into the room, frowning worriedly at the sight of Magnus sobbing.

“Mommy and daddy said we have to go now,” She announced. Ms. Bane smiled at her in a reassuring manner and Isabelle’s posture relaxed slightly.

Isabelle not-so-subtly kicked Jace in the shin when Alec hopped off the bed and made his way towards them.

“Thank you for having us,” Jace said as polite as he could muster while trying not to double over in pain, suddenly glad that he was in hospital in case the kick broke his bones.

“Mommy and daddy asked if you wanted to have dinner at our house when Magnus is okay,” Isabelle added.

Magnus, apparently, had overheard them talking through his wailing and started to reach for Alec. “Noo, Alexander! Stay!” He cried even louder, trying to push himself out of his mother's arms.

Jace noticed Alec taking a hesitant step forwards. Ms. Bane noticed aswell, and shook her head.

“Go home, sweetie, your parents are waiting for you,” She adjusted her grip on Magnus, “He'll be fine. The doctor said he’ll probably fall asleep soon enough.”

Alec agreed reluctantly and allowed Isabelle to drag him out of the room.

* * *

The next day was, thankfully, the start of a long weekend and Alec was grateful to the person who decided to cancel school on Monday and Tuesday.

“Alec, c’mon!” Isabelle exclaimed with a huge grin on her face, comic books in hand. Alec smiled down at her in return.

He held her free hand as they walked down the stairs, being sure to help her stay upright. She babbled excitedly about how Simon was waiting in their backyard to read her another story of Superwoman.

There was a barbecue going on in their backyard since his parents had wanted to officially welcome the Lewis family in their neighborhood. Alec wasn't sure who else was invited, but he knew some of his classmates would be there.

“Can we take Simon to the park, big brother?” Isabelle asked once they had gotten off the last step.

“Only if you ask mom for permission,”

“Can Magnus come with us?” She asked innocently, looking up at him.

“Uhh- he, um - only,” Alec stammered, taken by surprise at the question.

“Jace said he was your boyfriend.” Isabelle said with an evil grin. She pointed at him and started laughing, “Look, look! Your face is red, big brother!”

She laughed loudly and ran away as Alec tried to grab her, running straight into Simon. He whipped around, feeling someone collide into his back. His grin widened at the sight of Izzy.

“Simon!” Isabelle squealed happily and wrapped her tiny arms around boy’s torso. Simon happily retaliated, trying not to squish the bag of comics on his arm.

Jace came up to Alec, snickering at the glare he was receiving from his brother.

“You should be thanking me,” Jace said.

“For what?” Alec hissed at the happy expression on his face.

Stupid Jace trying to meddle with his crush.

“For making the barbecue more interesting.”

“Excuse me?”

“Alexander!”

Alec jumped into the air, yelping in surprise at the sudden appearance of Magnus’ voice.

He heard Jace snicker one last time before the blonde haired boy went to go greet Magnus and his mother as they walked towards his backyard.

Magnus was waving at him happily, despite the bandage wrapped around his wrist and few bruises Alec knew he had.

Alec felt his face heat up as he waved back.

A barbecue with Magnus and his famile?

Oh, things would definitely get more interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to do this thing where I post a chapter and NOT disappear for 4 months.  
> I think I'm failing.

**Author's Note:**

> This is is my first time posting on AO3 so I'm praying that it's going well.  
> Another thing: this story has no beta or editor or whoever, so if you could give me a heads up about any mistakes you see, that'd be great!


End file.
